Atlantic Virtuosi

Atlantic Virtuosi is a group of Nova Scotia-based string players who are each accomplished solo and chamber musicians in their own right: violinists Geoffrey Day, Mark Lee, Charna Matsushige and Amy Spurr-Caveney, violists Carolyn Farnand and Ellis Yuen-Rapati, cellist Aiden Russell, and bassist Jemma Jones. As an ensemble of equals, Atlantic Virtuosi operates without a conductor and artistic leadership is shared among the musicians. This new ensemble was created to explore the vast string ensemble repertoire (which includes masterpieces from from the baroque, classical, romantic, 20th century and contemporary periods) and to contribute to this body of work with commissions from Nova Scotian composers.

        Previously a Port Maitland summer resident, violinist Geoffrey Day moved to Nova Scotia from Florida in 2020 with his wife, the Canadian pianist Lan Lam, and their son William.	Mr. Day performed for twenty-six years as a violinist with the Naples Philharmonic (Florida). He received his Bachelor of Music from the University of Michigan, studying with Ruggiero Ricci, and earned a Master of Music from Michigan State University as a student of I-Fu Wang. While in Michigan, he served as Concertmaster of the Michigan State University, Battle Creek, and Midland Symphonies, Assistant Concertmaster of the Kalamazoo Symphony, and Principal Second Violin of the Greater Lansing Symphony.  	Geoffrey Day performs frequently as a chamber musician and as a recitalist with the pianist Lan Lam. In Florida he founded the Botticelli Quartet, the Aurore Piano Trio, Neapolitan Baroque, and the Naples Baroque Orchestra. Mr. Day has performed often in Nova Scotia with Lan Lam; in July of 2018, they performed the complete 10 Beethoven sonatas for violin and piano and most recently, the Franck Sonata for the 2023 Nova Scotia Music Week.  
      Violist Carolyn Farnand is known for her love of collaboration and versatility performing in diverse musical styles. She recently joined the Nu Deco Ensemble for their major-label debut EP Duende on Sony Music Masterworks. Carolyn’s passion for new music has also brought her to the prestigious Lucerne Festival in Switzerland. In addition to contemporary music, Carolyn has a deep appreciation for early music. She has been featured as a soloist with Les Violons du Roy and joined Juilliard415 for a memorable three week performance tour in New Zealand.      Carolyn is a graduate of the Juilliard School, the University of Toronto and was a Temerty fellow during her Artist Diploma at the Glenn Gould School. She is a grateful alumna of the New World Symphony. She is thankful for the inspiration from her former teachers: Carol Rodland, Toby Appel, Steven Dann, Cynthia Roberts and Eric Nowlin. Carolyn has enjoyed participating in music festivals all over the world including the Aspen Music Festival, Schleswig-Holstein Festival, Scotia Festival, Domaine Forget, Brott Festival and the National Youth Orchestra of Canada.      Carolyn is excited to begin her first season with Symphony Nova Scotia! She is also looking forward to chamber music performances with Candlelight Concerts, the Inner Spaces Concert Series and the Music Room Chamber Players Series.

      Born to a family of classical musicians, Jemma Jones grew up in Calgary, Alberta surrounded by music. Though she is now a double bassist, Jemma’s first instrument was a violin - for a grand total of three months, at the age of six. These short months culminated in a class recital, one that young Jemma did not know she would be performing in until a few minutes before her turn to play. After watching an older classmate perform Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Jemma attempted, far too confidently, to squeak out the same tune. It was then that her family knew she would be a performer - just not a violinist.      A couple years later, at eight years old, Jemma began playing double bass. By age eleven, she was playing in youth orchestras in Calgary, sparking what would become a life-long love for symphonic music. Jemma studied with Sheila Garrett of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra for nine years before moving to Montreal, Quebec to attend McGill University. Jemma received a Bachelor’s degree, Master’s degree, and Graduate Diploma in Double Bass Performance from McGill, studying with Brian Robinson and Ali Yazdanfar of the Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal. During that time, Jemma also participated in the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, Domaine Forget Music Academy, and Orford Music Academy, where she learned from masterful bassists from North America and Europe, and received multiple scholarships for her playing.      Throughout her time in Montreal, Jemma performed with multiple ensembles around the city, most recently with the Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal. Jemma has also had the pleasure of returning home to Calgary on multiple occasions to play with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, in which both her parents play. In fall 2022, Jemma joined Symphony Nova Scotia as Assistant Principal Bass; in addition to her position with SNS, Jemma is a teacher with the Nova Scotia Youth Orchestra, and has performed as a part of the Cecilia Concerts’ Sensory Accessible Concerts and the Scotia Festival of Music’s Chamber Players Series.     When she’s not playing bass, Jemma loves hiking, spending time by the ocean, and hosting games nights with friends.

      Halifax-born violinist Mark Lee studied at Dalhousie University with Philippe Djokic. Following his graduation in 2010, he pursued his postgraduate studies at the Royal Academy of Music with Lydia Mordkovitch and Maureen Smith as a Leverhulme Scholar. In addition to his teachers at the Royal Academy, he has also received private studies with Maxim Vengerov. Mr. Lee is the recipient of numerous awards and scholarships that include the first Georg Tintner Scholarship Award, a solo debut with Symphony Nova Scotia in February 2010, the London Symphony Orchestra String Experience Scheme, Wolfe Wolfinsohn String Quartet Prize (both in 2011 and 2014), Max Pirani Piano Trio Prize, and the Regency Award recommended by RAM for notable achievement.      After receiving his Masters degree at the Royal Academy of Music with the highest distinction, Mr. Lee worked closely with the London Symphony Orchestra, and with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra as acting Principal Violinist. He has made recordings with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and has toured extensively throughout Europe and Asia. He has also performed for members of the British Royal Family in the House of Lords Parliament.      Mr. Lee currently serves as Assistant Concertmaster with Symphony Nova Scotia. 

      A native of Newmarket, Ontario, Charna Matsushige began studying the violin with Sonia Klimasko at age six and by her late teens continued her studies with David Zafer in Toronto. She received her Bachelor of Music in Performance at McGill University’s Schulich School of Music under the tutelage of Mark Fewer. In 2014, she received her Master of Music from the University of Toronto, studying with Yehonatan Berick.      Charna has performed with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, the Toronto Concert Orchestra, the National Academy Orchestra, the Niagara Symphony and the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony. She began performing with Symphony Nova Scotia in 2018 and joined the second violin section during the 2021/22 season. In addition to her position with the symphony, she has developed a passion for new music and performs with the Halifax based, artist-led ensemble, Alkali Collective. Outside of music she enjoys exploring Halifax’s food scene with her husband and Golden Retriever, Smalls.

      Aiden Russell, a cellist from Ottawa, Ontario, joined the cello section of Symphony Nova Scotia in September of 2022. Aiden completed his Graduate Performance Diploma and Masters degree at the Peabody Conservatory of Music under the direction of Alan Stepansky. Prior to this, Aiden completed his Bachelors degree at the Schulich School of Music of McGill University under the direction of Matt Haimovitz.      Aiden has had the opportunity to learn from many of the world’s elite artists including Marin Alsop, Astrid Schween, Peter Wiley, Steven Doane, Johannes Moser, and Brannon Cho. In 2021, he competed in the National Arts Centre Bursary Competition and was awarded the Crabtree Foundation Award which supports a candidate in pursuit of an orchestral career. Aiden is an alumnus of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, the Bowdoin International Music Festival, the International Cello Institute, the National Academy Orchestra of Canada, and the National Arts Centre Orchestra Mentorship Program.

      Originally hailing from Nova Scotia, Amy Spurr-Caveney has found her way to multiple stages across North America, in a variety of musical settings. In February 2019, Amy performed and premiered a new work Violin Concerto by Jordan O’Connor. Amy has shared the stage with artists such as Michael Bublé and 2Cellos and is an avid chamber and orchestral musician. She has performed with several orchestras, including Symphony Nova Scotia, Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, Winnipeg Symphony, Windsor Symphony, Toronto Concert Orchestra, Kingston Symphony, Thunder Bay Symphony, North Bay Symphony and  Newfoundland Symphony. In 2017, she was invited to be a guest chamber musician in Mexico, at the Festival Internacional de Musica (Guadalajara) and Fesitval de Febrero (Ajijic), where she performed in several concerts and played on live television. She has also been an artist at multiple summer orchestral and chamber music festivals such as the Orchestra of the Americas, National Academy Orchestra of Canada, Orchestre de la Francophonie, Domaine Forget, Orford Academy, and Tuckamore Chamber Music Festival. Placing in their annual Concerto Competition, Amy had the opportunity to perform as soloist with Memorial University’s School of Music Chamber Orchestra.      Amy has studied violin with Annalee Patipatanakoon of the Gryphon Trio and Duo Concertante violinist Nancy Dahn, and performed in masterclasses for renowned violinists such as James Ehnes and Jonathan Crow. Amy holds degrees from Memorial University of Newfoundland and the University of Toronto and currently resides in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

      Ellis Yuen-Rapati is a 29 year old London-based violist. He began his musical education on violin at the age of four under the guidance of Yvonne DeRoller in Halifax Nova- Scotia. After deciding to pursue a career in music Yuen-Rapati has had the privilege to study at McGill University (BMUS, GDP), at The Royal Conservatory of Music (ADP), and is currently completing his master's in viola performance at Western University.Through his studies at McGill, RCM, Western, and various summer programs, including six years as a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, he has had the pleasure of working with prominent musicians including Professors Steven Dann, Sharon Wei, André Roy, Maestros Micheal Francis, Gabor Takacs-Nagy, The Gryphon Trio and Cho-Liang Lin. 
      Music has taken Yuen-Rapati all across Canada, from his hometown in Dartmouth, Nova-Scotia, to up north in Iqaluit, Nunavut. He has had the opportunity to perform at the Konzerthaus in Berlin, Usher Hall in Edinburgh and Ruinas do Carmo in Lisbon. Yuen-Rapati is currently living in London where he plays with the London Symphonia, and substitutes for the Thunder Bay Symphony and the National Arts Center Orchestra. Yuen-Rapati is also the newly appointed violist of the Vintera quartet which performs in London under the Candlelight concert series.